Mohave County miner., 1887-05-07
THE MANUFACTURE or roorHplcKs.
A Place Where They are Made by the
MiIIion--A Uuiuuo Industry.


There are, / have been told, but three
toothpick factories in the United States. One
Of them Is located at Belmont, Allegheny
county, y. Y, just ON the edge OF the town,
and near the banks Of the Genesee river. In
going over most factories one is generally
nshcred in at the wrong ens., that Is. where
the completed work Is ready for shipment.
This factory was no exception TO the rule,
but will take you below stairs first and we
viii then work upward gradually. The fac
tory makes two articles Of comrnerce-tooth-
picks, as already stated, and allamettes, or
lamp-lghters. TO commence at first pTin'
ciples We started In the basement, and
after exploring the engind room, betook our
selves 10 where tho woodwork was In its firss
stages. We found Ia this second room piles
OF circular blocks OF wool about sixteen
inches in diameter by perhaps five In thick
ness. This wood was hard" ard soft"
maple and pine These are put into re-
volving machine, which strips them Of their
bark; they are then sent up to the first floor,
Here they are again put iito another reyolv
ing machine, which cuts them into fine strips.
which arc then cut into the required shap
for toothpieks. The picks" are dropped out
at one side, while the refuse falls from tbt
other into a shaft, and Is carried downcb the
basement, and subsequently used for frin2
Some arc round, some square This little
machine which makes them appears slmpl:
enough TO the uninitiated but i'll reality Is
quite complicated, containing, we were in
formed, several hundred knives. These
small articles of after-dinner service are then
taken up to the second story, whcrc they are
kept in heated room until sufficiently dry
for packing.
Descending TO the first fioor-for we have
fJliowcd our miniature guide up stairs and
down--we enter q room wher3 several girls
ard women and two U three boys are o.
work. One girl we find stIiaping thin paste
ls1aril boxes with a iycs aud then folding
these boxes by hani with rapidity ilnpoa5i
he 10 u, followed by tho eye. The cxpcri.
cnced fingers grow very uigI5ie. On tht
other sile Of tia, roo.l l,i.is were sorting and
arranging the "pic.-," aud putting thcm Il,
brcc< The work was executed with q
al%It.l-Ss oI,ly acquired through loLs prac
tic. The plan oi arranging them Ia bundle
;sfvIa ratoTy 90 boxing in tIia: From the
large hemp u front draw T. anaIler quantity
yct ssvcl.l tign-3 larger than the proposed
hunaics. Tlieac little sticks lay at skies and
rlFSslE a. ra-ll Is ~ Us l4aS liD1b contrary piis
Of ,a..lsstrasye.
The first EOtioI is to draw the pile toward
The yorker tho secuni to draw the hands
acros the pile lateralIy and carry off any
ofTsndin; sticks that lay in their way, sud
then clo5e In the pile as the third motion,
again scattering and arranging. Reiteratine
fheso motions wgth more or less variatici
soon brings order cut Of chnos, and the pill
grows beautifully lrss as compact, neat
bundles assume tho desired shape and pro-
portion. They were then quickly boxed and
thrown aside ready for market. In the
manufacture Of the ailumette the wood was
cut into long strips Of two different widths
four and half inches for the narrower, aud
as | remember about eight inches for the
wide, and thirty-seeond Of an inch in thick:
ne5s. These were then hung from beams In
n drying room, and the draped, ribboa-like
effect Of the room YVES very pretty. They
we're afterward put by the quantity into II
cutting machine attended by boy, whence
issued the useful allumette, ready for binding
and boxing. belmont Cor. Rochester Union
and Advertiser,